Wisconsin gets some Final Four nods from TV's college basketball analysts

The outrage on this year’s edition of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament selection Sunday television shows was reserved as much for seeding lines as much as it was for teams excluded from the field.

Wisconsin-Green Bay, which was left out of the tournament, had some level of sympathy from network college basketball analysts.

“I think Wisconsin-Green Bay, I think Louisiana Tech should be in,” said Doug Gottlieb of CBS Sports before the tournament field was announced on CBS.

“I thought they should have been in the tournament,” Gottlieb said about Green Bay after the field was set. “Alec Brown. . . didn’t play in one of their bad losses at Valparaiso.”

But more than the Phoenix, more than Florida State, more than Georgetown, most of the weeping and gnashing of teeth about an excluded team was directed at Larry Brown’s SMU team.

The chairman of the NCAA Division 1 men’s basketball committee and director of athletics at Wake Forest, Ron Wellman, was asked by CBS’ Greg Gumbel about the committee’s decision to leave Green Bay and SMU out.

“There were strengths and weaknesses to their resumes,” Wellman said. “Probably the one that is grabbing most attention right now is SMU. SMU had an outstanding resume but . . . but their non-conference strength of schedule was in the 300s which is not very good, obviously. Their overall strength of schedule is 129.”

As for Green Bay, Wellman said later on truTV, that the Phoenix had only one victory against a top 50 team and played Division II teams did not count in their favor.

The loudest howls of dismay came about Louisville’s four seeding. The only analyst we heard who didn’t seem of have a problem with it was Clark Kellogg of CBS, who said he had the Cardinals slotted in that neighborhood.

“Absolute shock,” said CBS’ Seth Davis, after Louisville was announced as a four. “I think in my 11 years being on the bracket show, this is the most surprised I have been. I thought they might be a one. They end up a four. I thought they would be at least a two.”

Even at his age, ESPN’s Dick Vitale still can bring the rant. He was in good form after Louisville was given a four.

“I think it is absolutely ridiculous, absurd,” Vitale said. “Has anyone watched what they have done? It’s been unbelievable. . . . Bottom line is, your eye test, man, your eye test. You look at Louisville, there is no way, shape or form that they should be a four seed.”

ESPN’s Jay Bilas agreed that Louisville was mis-seeded.

Wisconsin, seeded second, made a number of analysts’ Final Four lists but none of them we saw took UW to the championship game.

Kellogg and Davis of CBS put the Badgers them there. Bilas and Jay Williams of ESPN put them there too. Digger Phelps and Dick Vitale had UW going as far as the Elite Eight.

The fourth number one in the field that was in doubt went to Virginia.

Kellogg asked Wellman if the committee considered the Badgers one.

“Wisconsin was not considered all that strongly for the number one line,” Wellman said. “A couple of other teams were considered very strongly. Villanova and Michigan were considered very strongly for that line. Virginia’s total resume was very impressive to us. They won the ACC regular season championship and followed it up a tournament championship.”

Bilas thought Wisconsin has a favorable path to the Final Four, facing American in the first round and then the winner of Oregon vs. BYU.

“I love Wisconsin’s draw here,” Bilas said. “I think as a two seed they got a fabulous draw. Out of all these teams, what’s the best ball control, defensive team there? Wisconsin has not protected their lane as well as they have in the past. But I think they are the best defensive team out of this group.”

ESPN’s Seth Greenberg had some misgivings about UW’s defense and he did not take them to his Elite Eight.

“They’re not the defensive team they have been,” Greenberg said.

But Bilas argued they don’t have to be the best they have been defensively.

“I agree that Wisconsin is better offensively than they are defensively, but they are better defensively than anybody else there. That’s the point. Not that Wisconsin is the best defensive team they have been. They’re not. But they are better defensively than anybody else in that bracket.”

Phelps took UW to his Elite Eight but losing to Oklahoma State.

“Wisconsin, what I love about Bo Ryan, he always teaches consistency,” Phelps said. “He always teaches team defense, but offense to where you get in a rhythm. When you look at (Sam) Dekker and (Ben) Brust, they know how to score.”

Analysts Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith of Turner Sports offered their opinions about the field in a show on truTV, along with Gary Parrish of CBSSports.com and host Ernie Johnson.

Barkley praised UW’s fundamentals, but teased about the methodical play.

“Kenny, what’s that you said in the green room?” Barkley asked his colleague.

“Twenty-five passes before a shot,” Smith said. “But they have changed it. I think they are now at about 15.”

CBS and Turner said Sunday night that the tournament games to be played at the BMO Harris Bradley Center will be called on TV by Ian Eagle and Jim Spanarkel, along with reporter Lewis Johnson.

Meanwhile, Wiconsin-Milwaukee's Thursday night game against Villanova in Buffalo will be called by Verne Lundquist and Bill Raftery.

Below are some of the Final Four predictions from the TV college basketball analysts.

All five of the ESPN analysts on the selection show picked MIchigan State to win the national championship:

Clark Kellogg, CBS: Florida, Wisconsin, Wichita State, Michigan State

Seth Davis, CBS: Florida, Wisconsin, Wichita State, MIchigan State

Doug Gottlieb, CBS: Florida, Arizona, Louisville, Michigan State

Jay Williams, ESPN: Florida, Michigan State, Wisconsin, Louisville

Digger Phelps, ESPN: Florida, Michigan State, Oklahoma State, Duke

Jay Bilas, ESPN: Kansas, Michigan State, Wisconsin, Louisville

Seth Greenberg, ESPN: Florida, Michigan State, Arizona, Duke

Dick Vitale, ESPN: Florida, Michigan State, Arizona, Louisville

About Bob Wolfley

Bob Wolfley retired in October 2014 He wrote the SportsDay blog and column and about TV and radio issues.